6.10.1 Avoiding Gender Bias
Communicating in a non-sexist way requires the ability to recognize sexism in the first place. The next hurdle is to figure out a way to eliminate any inherent sexism without disrupting the flow of the communication. Here are a few options to help avoid bias.
Gendered Nouns
Use gender-neutral words when referring to individuals in various positions (see Table 6.4):
|
Avoid |
Try |
|---|---|
|
businessman, businesswoman |
business executive |
|
chairman, chairwoman |
chairperson |
|
the common man |
the average person |
|
salesman, saleswoman |
salesperson, salesclerk, marketer |
This section is adapted from “Eliminating Bias in Language” in Communication for Professionals by Susan Oaks, licensed under CC BY-NC: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International, except where otherwise noted.
